- PresenceLearning, a leading provider of live online special education-related services for K-12 schools, announced it raised $27 million
PresenceLearning, a leading provider of live online special education-related services for K-12 schools, announced it raised $27 million in Series D investment led by Bain Capital Double Impact. And existing investors Catalyst Investors, New Markets Venture Partners, and Catamount Ventures also joined the round. This latest funding round positions the company to accelerate its expansion of online therapy and assessment services to meet growing school needs.
Launched in 2009, PresenceLearning is going to help schools better address and serve the needs of special education students through remote access to the company’s proprietary teletherapy platform and network of over 1,000 licensed clinicians. Due to COVID-19-related school closures, districts across the U.S. are expanding online capabilities to better adapt their models to remote learning educating staff for online engagement with students, and incorporating flexibility amid uncertain timelines for a return to onsite instruction.
PresenceLearning’s professional development training and access to its proprietary platform for school-based special education teams are enabling schools across the country to reach students at home. And there are now 7 million students across the country with individualized education plans (IEPs), but nationwide shortages in qualified clinicians leave schools unable to properly serve these students.
With several offerings, including teletherapy, mental health services, and remote psychoeducational assessments, PresenceLearning is known for helping ensure that special education students have access to services tailored to their unique interests, needs, and developmental abilities. Plus the company has become an integral and parent-approved partner to school special education programs across the country with over 2.5 million teletherapy sessions completed to date.
Due to the COVID-19 era, every school district needs an online contingency plan. And school teams across the country are benefitting from PresenceLearning’s deep expertise in serving special education populations online and are using the PresenceLearning platform to reach students at home and to continue providing uninterrupted support.
Key Quotes:
“Bain Capital Double Impact’s commitment to reducing gaps in skills and educational achievement for underserved populations aligns perfectly with our mission. We aim to ensure that every student in the public education system receives the special education services they are entitled to, and to create a new way to work for highly skilled school-based clinicians seeking the flexibility of remote work. Our work has taken on new importance and expanded relevance this year, and this capital will support our continued growth and help us reach even more students and clinicians in special education programs.”
– Kate Eberle Walker, Chief Executive Officer at PresenceLearning
“Even before COVID-19, too many special education students across the country were underserved due to chronic staffing shortages and capacity limitations. PresenceLearning’s purpose-built platform delivers key teletherapy and tele-assessment services that support K-12 schools in providing greater access to high-quality clinical services and the individual attention needed to meet their students’ learning goals. We are thrilled to partner with Kate and her team to accelerate the company’s growth and to help maximize its lasting impact.”
– Iain Ware, Managing Director at Bain Capital Double Impact
“Since first partnering with PresenceLearning nearly five years ago, the company has grown significantly and become the largest and only scaled provider of special education teletherapy services to K-12 schools. The current pandemic has proven PresenceLearning to be a must-have technology for school districts. With the federal mandate that all schools receiving government funding must provide necessary services for students with IEPs, we expect the company to continue its impressive growth. We look forward to supporting the company in its mission of improving the lives of students with special needs.”
– Brian Rich, Managing Partner at Catalyst Investors
